Aura
by GreggolovesNicky
Summary: What is happening to Greg? Slash. Final chapter is posted!
1. Chapter 1

I also posted this chapter on WMTDB.

It is unbetaed, so all mistakes are mine.

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**Aura chapter 1**

When I arrived at the crime scene, I knew I was way too late, Nick was already there.

I had a hard time falling asleep after the last shift. And when I finally fell asleep, I got a call to go to the crime scene.

I felt like crap, I had a headache, I felt nauseous and I was very dizzy. I really had to concentrate to see where I was driving. There was no way I wanted to get into an accident and arrive even later then I already was.

Before I got out of the car, I looked in the driving mirror, well, my hair look great, but that was the only thing that looked great. All the blood looked drained from my face, there was sweat glistering on my forehead and my pupils almost looked black, because they seemed extremely dilated.

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Shit, what is wrong with me?

I could see Nick walking towards my car and so I decided to get out, I was suddenly so dizzy that I had to hold on, so I wouldn't fall onto the ground.

Slowly I got on my feet and mumbled a greeting back to Nick. He looked at me strangely, but I decided to ignore it and went to get my evidence-case.

I had to do my best to focus, my head was throbbing, my vision was getting burlier by the minute and I wished the dizziness would just stop!

I opened the boot, but my case wasn't there. Because of the dizziness I couldn't even think properly!

The case must be on the backseat, where I had left it the other day.

So, I walked over to the backdoor and suddenly everything went black.

I could feel myself falling on the ground and then nothing more then blackness……..

When I opened my eyes again, everything was blurry and there were some background noises. It sounded like someone was talking to me, but I couldn't hear what was said.

And then the darkness returned.

When I opened my eyes again, I felt very strange, I was still dizzy, but also very tired. I could taste blood on my lips and I started to lick it of, my tongue was hurting.

D_id I bit my tongue?_

"Hey Greggo, everything is ok!", I could hear Nick say.

I needed to get out of here, I wanted to get up, but Nick was holding me back.

Suddenly I realized that the front of my jeans was wet, so was my boxer shorts.

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What? Did I wet myself?

"Oh shit, I wet myself", I whispered to myself.

Nick lent closer to hear what I had to say. I was ashamed and said: " I wet myself, Nicky". I felt so stupid, like a child I wet myself. I was so embarrassed that I could feel the tears forming in my eyes.

Nick looked at me and said: "Don't worry about that, Greggo!" and it seemed that he didn't care about me wetting myself. He had a worried look on his face, but still he gave me a reassuring smile.

I was starting to get dizzy again, my vision became blurry and suddenly it was very difficult to breath and I started gasping for air. I needed to get out of here and I started to panic when I wasn't able to move.

And then there was just the darkness again. I could feel Nick strong arms holding me and then nothing……….

The next time I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed. I was connected to a hart monitor, there was an IV in my arm and an oxygen mask on my face.

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What the hell happened? Why was I here in the first place?


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter is also posted on WMTDB.

It is unbetaed, so all mistakes are mine.

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**Aura chapter 2**

When I arrived at the crime scene, David, the assistant-coroner, was already standing next to the DB. He was writing something down, while a police officer was talking to him.

"Hey Super Dave!", I said with a smile, "what can you tell me about the vic?"

The other man looked up. "Hi Nick, the vic is a young male, and the COD is probably a blood forced trauma to the head", he said.

I started taking photo's of the young man, who's life ended way before his time.

"He has been dead for at least 12 hours", David added. I looked at the victim, while my eyes were searching the area for any clues and traces.

I was so concentrated at doing my job, that I didn't hear the other Denali arrive at the scene.

I only looked up because David walked away, pushing the gurney with the dead body and saying goodbye to me.

Behind him I saw that Greg had arrived, I had no idea why it had taken so long for him to arrive at the crime scene. Catherine had called me an hour ago, so she probably had called Greg around the same time as well.

I got up and walked towards the Denali to ask the young CSI to help me gather the rest of the evidence.

Only when I walked closer I saw that the younger man looked different then usual. He didn't jump out of the car, as he usually enthusiastic did. It took him a lot of effort to get out of the car, he looked pale and he was sweating.

" Hey G, what's up?", I said. Greg looked at me with a strange look in his eyes, they seemed even darker then normal, and he mumbled a greeting back.

He got out of the car and walked slowly to the boot of the car, probably to get his evidence-case. I told him that I would see him in a minute, but Greg didn't answer me, he was too busy looking for his case.

So, I went back to the crime scene and continued taking pictures of all the evidence I could find.

I was so busy with my task, that I didn't even notice that Greg was still not there to help me.

I decided to go back to Greg's Denali, to see what was going on. I looked up at his car, but I couldn't see him from where I was standing. When I walked up closer to the car, I could see that the boot was still open, but Greg was nowhere to be seen.

But when I was standing next to the open boot, I finally saw him. He was lying on the ground, his whole body was shaking and shivering, his eyes where half-closed and he was smacking his lips. I freaked out and ran towards him.

"Greg!", I started shouting, "Greg wake up, open your eyes buddy!"

But Greg didn't open his eyes and he didn't wake up.

Suddenly he started convulsing. His whole body started shaking and twitching.

At this point I was getting extremely anxious and I called out for help. But there was no one else at the remote crime scene, the police officers and coroner left the scene a while ago.

Instead, I called dispatch to send in the paramedics. The operator told me it would take at least 10 more minutes for the paramedics would arrive. I was kneeling next to Greg while making the phone call and I was trying to comfort him.

Suddenly the seizure stopped and soon after that Greg started to open eyes. His pupils were extremely dilated and were moving around without being able to focus on anything. I tried to get his attention, but it seemed that he wasn't able to hear or see me.

"G, you are going to be fine", I tried to calm him and myself down. "It's okay, I am here, everything is ok". I started stroking Greg's arm and hair to comfort him.

But suddenly his eyes rolled back in to his head and he started convulsing again. His arm and legs were moving around, he was clenching his teeth and he was moaning like he was in some kind of pain. I placed my jacket under his head and started talking to him.

I was so worried about this man, the man I liked from the first time I laid my eyes on him. I didn't just like him, I think I love him. I was never able to tell him that, I was too afraid for his reaction.

But now I thought it was the only thing that was left to say to him. "Greggo, you are going to be ok, don't give up, I love you G". Tears started falling down my face. I was starting to panic at the sight of that young man convulsing and there was no help anywhere to been see.

As suddenly as his seizure started it stopped again. I let out a sigh of relief when I could here the sirens of the ambulance getting closer.

Slowly Greg opened his eyes and he was licking his lips. I could see that there was some blood on his lower lip, he probably had bitten his tongue while convulsing. His pupils were more focused then before and he looked directly into my eyes.

"Hey Greggo, everything is ok", I said again. I could see the panic in his eyes, I did my best to stay calm and gave him a reassuring smile.

The younger man was getting restless and starting to get up. Gentle I was holding him back and told him to lay still. He was whispering something, I couldn't hear what he said, so I lent closer.

" I wet myself, Nicky", he said in a small voice. I could see the tears in his eyes. He just looked like a little boy and all I wanted to do is hold him and tell him that everything would be alright. All I could say was: "Don't worry about that, Greggo."

He looked at me with a very confused look in his eyes. I noticed that he was panting and he started panicking.

Without warning, another seizure started, while I was holding him in my arms.

I good feel the tears streaming down my face, while the only thing I said was:" You are ok, you are ok, I love you Greggo, you are ok, you are ok, I love you're, you are ok", I repeated over and over.

Till finally the paramedics took over and they rushed him to the hospital.

The only thing I could do, was to follow the ambulance with the Denali. I was cursing and shouting at the cars that wouldn't move out of my way.

When I finally arrived at the ER, the ambulance was nowhere to be seen. I quickly parked my car and rushed inside the hospital.

The triage-nurse didn't look up when I stood in front of her, I was getting impatient and shuffed my badge under her nose. It got her attention and she asked me what I wanted. I had to control myself not to shout at her, it took all of my effort to stay calm and ask her where they had taken Greg Sanders. When the nurse answered me, I hardly took the time to thank her.

I just wanted to see how Greg was doing and I needed to know it as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter is not posted on WMTDB yet, since the website is not working properly at the moment.

Thank you to **Glostarz** for being my beta and your ideas to finish this chapter!

Also, thank you all for adding this story to your favorites, favorite author and story alerts. Don't be shy and just review, please! :-)

And last, but not least, thanks to **chaney**, **janet1982, ****Embla, 246kisses** and **pippy93** for your lovely reviews!

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**Aura chapter 3**

I was exhausted, I hardly had any energy left. I only felt able to just lie in the hospital bed with my eyes closed. A nurse just left my room, she had explained to me why I was admitted to the hospital. Unfortunately she told me that I had to stay the night. It was not safe to stay on my own when there was a possibility that I could get another seizure.

The nurse already scheduled an appointment with a neurologist for tomorrow, where I would undergo some tests to find out the reason for the seizures I had experienced.

The whole experience had completely freaked me out.

It was scary to loose all control of my own body. I remembered several parts in between the seizures, but most of it was a complete blur. It made no sense why I suddenly had seizures like that, shouldn't that have happened when I was younger?

Maybe it was something serious, like a brain tumor or even worse?

I was too occupied with my thoughts, that I didn't realize that the door was gently being pushed open. When a soft voice greeted me, I was pulled back to the present. I was surprised to see Nick standing at the end of the hospital bed. He looked at me with a concerned expression on his face, his eyes looked sad and worried. It was then when I realized, that I must had freaked Nick out as well. And suddenly I felt guilty, even when I knew that I wasn't able to control the traumatizing event.

"I'm glad that you're feeling better, G", Nick said in a quiet voice. "You really gave me a scare", he added, while he moved closer to my hospital bed.

"Yeah, sorry about that", I sheepishly said, feeling even more guilty. "But at least, you know it's never boring when I'm around!"

When a small smile appeared on Nick's face, I was feeling less guilty.

"I'm feeling fine, honestly", I tried to reassure my best friend. "I'm sure, it just happened because I haven't had a descent nights of sleep in ages", I added.

I was trying to laugh it off. I hated seeing him so sad and worried. I had to make sure the sad look on his face disappeared. All I wanted was to see his beautiful smile again. I could tell that Nick wasn't really buying the explanation, but I appreciated that at least he was pretending to believe it.

"Sure, Greg", Nick said. "You should be able to get some rest because Grissom gave you the next couple of shifts off".

"Yeah, that sounds good", I answered. "Now I know what I have got to do to get some time off", I said with a smile on my face.

Nick didn't seem to really appreciate the joke, but still I could hear a soft chuckle and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

Nick stayed for about half an hour and we talked a lot. But both of us did our best to avoid the reason why I was in the hospital in the first place. When Nick left I realized how the whole event had really exhausted me. And for the first time in weeks, I finally had a good night of sleep.

The next morning I had an appointment with the neurologist. After the physical examination I had to undergo an EEG and some other tests. After the final test, the neurologist explained that I probably had experienced an epileptic seizure in combination with a panic attack. He wasn't sure what had caused these attacks. However, he was worried about the severeness of the epileptic attacks. It wasn't very common to experience such severe fits the first time. He prescribed me some anti-epileptic medications and he wanted me to undergo some additional tests. Also, I had to make sure that I slept enough, stayed of the alcohol and I wasn't allowed to drive a car.

First, the neurologist wanted to make sure that the medications worked properly. He told me that the dose can't be too strong right away, first you have to wait to see if the medications work properly. If not, the dose will be increased, until the attacks sustain or completely disappear. It's possible that it was just a one-time event and the seizures could stay away, with or without the medications. Nevertheless, the chances were not very high because of the severeness of the previous attacks.

When I left the hospital I had to take the bus home. I didn't want to bother anyone with picking me up from the hospital.

The next couple of days I just tried to relax and rest at home.

Nick came to visit me several times. It was nice to see him so often. We just talked and watched several movies. I could tell that he was still worried, so I made sure I didn't tell him everything the doctor had told me.

When Grissom told me that I could come back to work I was relieved and a bit excited. I was so fed up with just sitting at the house. I didn't experience any more seizures and I was feeling a lot better. I was taking the prescribed medications and had to wait for my appointment for more tests, which I had to undergo next week.

I hated that I had to take the bus to get to the lab, but I didn't want to risk the chance of getting a seizure while driving the car. However, I also felt too much pride to ask one of my colleagues to give me a lift to and from the lab.

When I arrived at the lab, I went straight to the break room. The others were already waiting for the assignments to be handed out by Grissom. When I entered the room, their conversation stopped and they all looked at me. Some with a concerned look on their faces, others with a curious and sad look. It made me feel rather uncomfortable. Luckily, Nick must have felt this, because he walked towards me and welcomed me back with a handshake and a warm hug. This must have triggered the others, because soon after, all of them welcomed me back to lab.

Catherine gave me a hug and whispered that she had been so worried. Warrick just gave me a friendly slap on the back and told me it had been too quiet at the lab without me. Sara also gave me a hug and almost squeezed the air out of me during that. Nick just stood besides me, with a smile on his face, while squeezing my neck in a friendly way.

I loved the attention but it also felt a bit awkward and I was glad when Grissom walked in with the assignments. He just greeted me, like nothing had happened and he told the others to leave me alone.

Soon after that, everything went back to normal and I almost forgot what had happened to me.

However, two days later, I suddenly woke up when my cell phone went off. But to my surprise, I was not laying in my bed and I was already half an hour late for work. I was laying on the floor, my head was hurting and I had wet my boxer shorts again.

I must have had another epileptic attack while I was sleeping.

It scared me, because I couldn't remember anything. When I got off the floor, my head was spinning and I was feeling exhausted. I went to the bathroom to take a shower and I saw my own reflection in the bathroom mirror. A huge bruise had appeared on my cheek and I had bitten my lip. I must have banged my head on the bedside table when I had the seizure.

I just wanted to pretend nothing had happened. If I couldn't remember anything, how could it be real? Deep down inside, I knew that I was being childish. But I found it too difficult to face the truth.

When I finally arrived at the lab, the assignments had already been handed out. I was glad to hear that I was working with Nick on a simple burglary case. He was waiting for me in the break room. When I stood in front of the door I had to take a deep breath before I found the courage to enter the room. When I opened the door Nick started talking to me without even looking up from the magazine he was reading. I tried to pretend as if everything was fine and occupied myself with pouring coffee in my traveling mug. But when I turned around, Nick was suddenly standing directly behind me. It made me almost spill my coffee. But Nick was holding the mug, preventing it from falling on the floor. He just looked at me, his eyes were fixed on the huge bruise on my cheek.

Unexpectedly, Nick started gently stroking the bruise with his fingers. This soft touch gave me a pleasant shiver down my spine.

"What happened, G?", he quietly asked me.

I tried to answer him, but nothing came out of my mouth.

"Are you alright, Greggo?", Nick asked me, while his hand moved towards my lip where he gently brushed the cut with his thumb.

Finally, I was able to answer him. "I'm fine, Nick.", I whispered. "I just walked into a door".

Nick just looked at me, his eyes concerned. He was still standing extremely close to me, I could feel his body heat and his breath was tickling my skin.

"A door, Greg?", he answered me, while he gently started to stroke the bruise again.

All I wanted was to lean into his touch and hold on to him. I was feeling vulnerable and scared, I just wanted someone to take care of me. We just stood there, face to face, inches apart from each other, Nick gentle continued stroking my cheek. I was just able to stare at his lips, his tongue peeking out of his mouth, while he was softly stroking my face.

Rather fascinated, we were just staring at each other. Nothing was said, but a lot of tension was being felt in the air. Not an awkward and uncomfortable tension, but more a sexual and really comfortable tension.

Just when I was about to make a comment about it, Archie came bursting into the break room. He almost ran into us and with a knowing smile on his face he mumbled something. I don't know what he said, but it made Nick stop stroking my face. Both of us stepped away from each other, rather ashamed. Nick was blushing, I tried to avoid Archie's and also Nick's looks. I quickly pushed Nick along, towards the Denali, to go to the crime scene.

There was an awkward silence in the car, but after a lame joke the tension was cleared and it felt as normal again.

During the whole shift I wasn't feeling too well, but I tried to ignore it and pretended that I was fine. I knew that Nick was worried, because I could feel and see the concerned glances he gave me.

After the long shift, we were meeting the others at a local bar near the lab. When we arrived our co-workers already had a few beers to drink and the atmosphere was loud and cheerful. I don't recall that I finished my first light beer, because all I could remember is that suddenly everybody was staring at me. My vision went blurry and the last thing I remember is seeing Nick's worried face getting blurrier and blurrier. Then nothing more then darkness and complete silence.

When I opened my eyes again, I was laying on an unknown floor. I could hear someone calling out my name and someone else was crying. I did my best to try to focus on my surroundings, but I was feeling dizzy and my vision was still a blur. I could feel the panic starting to form in my chest and I was gasping for air. Suddenly I could see Nick. He was stroking my hair and with a reassuring, gentle voice he was talking to me. It took me a lot of effort to concentrate on what he was saying.

"G, listen to me", he said in a quiet voice. "Just copy my breathing, just breathe slowly. You're breathing way too fast".

I did my best to copy his normal breathing. I had to control myself, try not to panic, but to stay calm instead.

"That's it, Greggo. Just breathe slowly. You're going to be fine, just concentrate on your breathing", Nick said, while he continued stroking my hair.

I felt secure, because Nick was there for me and it calmed me down. When I was breathing normally and my vision was clearer, I could see the others standing around me.

Grissom was on the phone, probably with the paramedics. Catherine was being held closely by Warrick, whom had a worried look on his face. Sara was just staring at me while the tears were running down her face. When I gave her a weak smile, she looked relieved and smiled back at me through her tears. When I looked back at Nick he was looking relieved as well and he was still stroking my hair.

"Hey, G", he quietly said, "How are you feeling?"

I could barely whisper that I was fine when suddenly there was a lot of commotion and then it was dark again.

When I woke up again, it took my mind a while to register that I was in the hospital. It was a déjà vu all over again, with the last time I was rushed to the ER. This time I was not alone in the room because I could see Nick sitting on an uncomfortable plastic hospital chair. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be asleep. But when I tried to move, his eyes flew open and he looked at me. When he saw that I was awake, he smiled at me and got off the chair.

When he was at my side, he instantly grabbed my hand. "Jeez, Greg, you gave me another scare!", he said, while gently squeezing my hand. "Are you feeling better?", he said while his other hand was stroking my face. "Why didn't you tell us, or me, that you weren't feeling well?", he added. "It's not because you haven't slept in ages, is it? But it's rather serious!", Nick said, while he looked at me with tears in his eyes.

I was feeling guilty and sad again. I didn't want him to worry, but I didn't want to tell him everything just yet. Because how could it be epilepsy? I've always been healthy. It made no sense to me to just get epilepsy at my age. It was ridiculous just to ignore it, to make it go away, because that surely wouldn't happen. But I just wanted to wait until I had the results of the final tests, then I would know for sure if it was epilepsy or not.

"I…I'm sorry, Nick", I quietly answered him. "I should have told you everything and I should have trusted you", I said, while Nick moved closer until he was sitting on the edge of my bed.

He was still holding my hand, gently squeezing it, while his other hand was playing with my hair. "You know you can trust me, G.", he said with hurt in his voice.

The sound of his voice, made me feel even guiltier, that I hadn't felt comfortable enough to trust him.

"I know. I know. And I'm really sorry", I said, while I was just staring at the blankets.

"It's ok, G. I forgive you", Nick said. "But please, don't keep important things from me next time".

We just sat there in complete silence. I could feel my whole body relax while Nick was stroking my hand. After a couple of minutes of silence, I felt the urge to tell Nick everything that he needed to know.

"The doctor thinks it's epilepsy. And I am taking medications for it. But they have to find out how high the dose has to be, to get the desired effect", I started explaining.

Nick was just looking at me, with a curious and patient look on his face.

"They gave me a higher dose when I arrived at the hospital. If I don't get any more seizures and if the epilepsy is under control, I'm allowed to drive a car again. And I will be able to go on with my life", I told Nick. He just reassured me, with a gentle squeeze in my hand.

"The doctor said that my epileptic seizure was combined with a panic attack", I continued explaining. "That's why I had trouble with breathing".

"You know, I….I was so worried. I thought you were going to die!", Nick said while he squeezed my hand a bit tighter. "It was horrible to see you like that, having a seizure and everything", he added, while I could see the tears forming in his eyes.

I didn't know what to say, I felt horrible that I had upset Nick. All that I could do was to gently squeeze his hand back. When he felt that, he just looked at me with a small smile.

"Thanks for being there for me, when I needed you the most", I confessed, while I placed my other hand on our locked hands.

"Anything for you, Greggo. I will do everything for you, as long as you're happy and safe", Nick said.

"Anything?", I asked with a smile, while looking Nick straight in the eye.

"Yes, G. Anything you want", Nick reassured me.

"Well in that case, my head still hurts, can you kiss it better, please?", I shamelessly asked.

Nick just looked at me for a second of two, with a surprised look in his eyes. "Sure, Greg. Come a bit closer", he said, while he pulled me nearer, to gently kiss the top of my head.

"What about your cheek?", Nick asked with a grin on his face, "Does your cheek still hurt?".

"Yeah, it really hurts", I admitted, waiting for Nick to place his lips on my bruised cheek and kiss me.

"And I can't forget the cut on your lip", Nick mumbled, while he leant in even closer.

Before I could register it, his lips were on mine. Gently he kissed the cut on my lip, followed by another kiss. Slowly I opened my mouth and soon after, Nick's tongue slipped in my waiting mouth. Nick softly moaned, while he gently held my head with both hands to deepen the kiss, which made me moan in response.

My hands were already exploring his chest and his muscular abs, while Nick eagerly placed his hands underneath my hospital gown and pulled me closer. It felt like heaven, both of us completely forgetting that we were in fact still at the hospital. But when someone cleared his throat, we quickly stopped kissing and backed away from each other. Just to see a smiling Warrick and Sara standing in the hospital room.

"It's about time you guys kissed!", Sara said, with a huge grin on her face.

"I always said that the two of you were made for each other!", Warrick stated, while Sara could only agree.

And I must say that I completely agree and judging on the loving look on Nick's face, he surely agrees as well.


	4. Chapter 4

A huge thank you to my beta's **Glostarz** and **LilyG**!

I am sorry that it has taken so long for me to finish this story. Thank you for your patience!

Please R &R :-)

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**Aura chapter 4 (final)**

A couple of weeks had passed since our first kiss. After Warrick and Sara had left the hospital room, Nick and I kissed again and it felt great. It was only because the nurse told us that the visiting hours were over that we stopped otherwise we would have kissed forever.

I had to stay the night at the hospital and the next day I had to undergo some additional tests. The neurologist explained to me that the only reason I experienced another seizure like that was because the medication dose was not high enough for me. When I arrived at the hospital, after the last seizure, the doctor had already given me a higher dose of the anti-epileptic medications. The additional tests didn't show anything different. It was indeed epilepsy. I was relieved that it wasn't a tumor or something lethal. There wasn't really any explanation for why I had gotten epilepsy at my age. But apparently there are a small number of people who do and I was one of the unlucky ones.

The neurologist also told me that there was no reason that I couldn't live a normal life. As long as I took my medications on time, got enough sleep and didn't drink too much alcohol. If I didn't experience another seizure within a set period of time, I was allowed to drive a car again.

When I finally exited the hospital to get a cab home I was surprised to see Nick's truck parked in front of the exit. I wasn't completely sure it was his truck, also because I couldn't see Nick sitting inside. When I got closer I could see that, indeed, it was. He was fast asleep, his head was resting against the window and I could hear the muffled sound of his snores. Gently I tapped on the window, but the sound didn't wake Nick up so instead I decided to call his cell phone. When the first note of Nick's ring tone was heard his head popped up. Frantically he was searching for his phone, his voice was hoarse with sleep when he finally answered. After I greeted him back on my phone, he instantly looked to his side where he finally spotted me standing outside of his truck. He looked adorably confused, but after a few seconds he got out.

"Hey, have you been waiting long? I was planning on taking a cab," I said to the other man standing in front of me.

"I just wanted to bring you home, to make sure you're alright," Nick answered in a soft voice, "So, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. It's epilepsy. As long as I follow the doctors' rules I can have a normal life. I am just not allowed to drive a car until I am completely seizure-free for a couple of years. Really, there is no need to worry," I told him.

"You know I still worry. I care about you and I want you to be okay," Nick confessed.

"Please, don't worry. Everything will be fine," I tried to convince him.

Nick didn't answer me, but instead he pulled me closer in to a warm hug. It surprised me that he would do that in public. But it didn't stop me from returning the hug.

"Come on, let's get you home," Nick whispered in my ear before letting go of me.

When I sat down in the passenger's seat I felt Nick stare. When I looked at him, I could tell that he was trying not to cry. "I was worried sick, it was terrible to see you like that again. It was the worst seizure you've had," Nick told me in a soft voice.

"I'm sor…." I tried to answer, but I couldn't finish my sentence, because suddenly Nick was kissing me.

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault," Nick said in between the kisses.

But suddenly Nick must have realized that we were still in the parking lot, because he stopped kissing me, his forehead resting against mine.

"I'm just so glad that you're okay," he finally said. I could only nod. And after giving me a quick kiss on the lips he started the engine and we drove to my apartment.

A couple of days later we went on our first real date together, we just went to a local bar for some drinks. But it was nice to really take the time to talk to each other. After our first successful date many others followed. We tried to spend as much time as possible together. We didn't always go out, we also spent many hours on Nick's couch. Just talking, watching a movie and of course kissing. Since our first kiss, I couldn't get enough of kissing Nick Stokes. It was difficult not to be able to touch and kiss each other when we were at work. Everybody knew about our relationship, still we tried to be as professional as possible while working.

The first time we made love was like a dream. It started on the couch and finished in Nick's unmade bed. We woke up the next morning, our limbs tangled around each other, my head resting on Nick's chest. When I looked him in the eye I knew this was for real. It felt so different compared to the other boyfriends I'd had in the past. It felt natural and wonderful just to be around Nick. And after our first time making love, I spent almost every night at Nick's place. We stayed at my place occasionally but because Nicks place was larger and closer to the lab, most of the time, we decided to go to Nick's place instead.

This week had been a busy week again, with a lot of overtime and double shifts. We were too tired to do anything else after work than sleep in Nick's comfortable bed. One night, when I opened my eyes, I felt horrible. My head was pounding and I was feeling nauseous. Instantly I knew that I had experienced another seizure. I must have woken Nick, because he was leaning over me. He had a worried look in his eyes and he was gently stroking the hair out of my face. I could see his mouth moving, he was saying something to me, but I wasn't able to understand what he was saying. I felt the known panic forming in my chest and I gasped for air. Panicked I tried to sit up, but Nick's large hand held me down. Gently he tried to calm me down. I tried my best to concentrate on calming down, letting Nick's soft but firm voice guide me. It took a while, but soon I was breathing normally again, my vision was clear again and I was feeling a lot better. The seizure had made me exhausted and I could feel my eyelids starting to droop. Nick continued stroking my hair until I had fallen into a restless but deep sleep. Not aware that Nick changed my wet boxer shorts, not noticing that he gently washed me, tucked me in and placed a kiss on my forehead. Before he slipped in to the bed, next to me again. Unconsciously I snuggled closer and laid my head on his chest.

When I woke up again, the bed was empty next to me. I was still feeling tired but my head was clear again. The house was quiet and empty and I realized that Nick had already left for work. Eyeing the clock, I saw that I was a couple of hours late for shift. Nick must have known that I needed my sleep and had let me sleep in. Quickly I took a shower and left for work.

When I arrived at the lab, the night shift was nowhere to be seen. They must have been at their crime scene, probably they wouldn't be back in hours. Resolute I went to Grissom's office to ask for an assignment. But when I arrived at his office, I noticed the door was closed. That never happened unless Grissom was having some kind of official meeting.

I could hear raised voices coming from behind the closed door. Curious I stood still in front of the door, trying my best not to press my ear against it to really hear what was said. I was surprised when I realized that one of the voices was the angry voice of my lover. But I didn't have the time to think it over, because suddenly the door opened. Nick was standing in the doorway, his face towards Grissom.

"You really don't know what you're talking about!" Nick angrily said, almost shouting, before he left the office, nearly bumping into me.

He was about to say something nasty, but when he realized that it was me his angry face softened. He held my face in his hands and kissed me on my lips. Shocked that Nick would do this at work, the only thing I could do was just to kiss him back.

"I love you, babe," he whispered in my ear.

"I love you too, Nicky," I whispered back, "Is everything alright?"

Nick didn't answer my question and just kissed me again.

Suddenly we were interrupted by Grissom's voice. Instantly Nick tensed up again and he pulled away from me.

"I have to go back to work, G," Nick whispered to me, completely ignoring Grissom.

"Okay, see you later." I answered, curiously eyeing my boss who was waiting uncomfortably for Nick to leave.

When Nick walked away, his stride heavy with anger, Grissom cleared his throat to get my attention.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Greg?" he asked, while he walked back to his office.

"Sure, Griss," I answered, while following my boss, "I'm sorry that I'm late, but I can explain wh……."

"I know, Greg. Just sit down for a minute, okay?" Grissom interrupted me.

A bit anxious I sat down, impatiently waiting for the man seated in front of me to tell me what was going on.

"How are you feeling, Greg?" the older man asked, while taking off his glasses.

"I'm fine, Griss. I mean I just had another seizure last night, but I'm fine now," I tried to explain.

"Yes, I already know about the seizure, Nicky told me about it," Grissom said, "But how are you really feeling? Tired? Stressed? Overworked?"

"Hmmm…..I'm feeling fine, honest. What's going on with all these questions?" I curiously asked my boss.

Grissom cleared his throat and was fiddling with his ball pen before he looked at me again.

"Well, Nicky thinks that the reason why you had a seizure is because you work too much," the grey-haired man finally said.

I was surprised by his answer and just stared at him, slightly nodding my head to encourage the other man to continue.

"As your boss, it's my responsibility to make sure that you don't work too much. And that you have time off to get enough sleep," Grissom continued.

"But Griss, it's not your fault that there are so many new cases every day," I answered.

"No, you're right about that. But it's my fault that I'm not taking care of my team. I'm really sorry about that, Greg," Grissom answered.

"Really, Griss don't worry about it. I appreciate your concern, but I'm a big boy and can take care of myself," I told him, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the whole conversation.

"I know, but I also know that you're pushing yourself too far. Your health is important, Greg. And I just want to make sure you're taking care of yourself," the older man stated, while he stood up behind his desk.

I stood up as well, wondering if our talk was over or not, you never knew with Grissom.

"I'm giving you the rest of the day off. Just relax and take care of yourself," the other man said.

"Are you serious?" I asked surprised.

"Yes, just go home, have a rest and we'll see you again tomorrow," Grissom answered, while gently pushing me outside his office.

I felt like a loser, poor little Greggy needed his sleep like a child. I knew that Grissom wanted the best for me, but it made me angry as well. I wasn't able to work the same hours like the others anymore. I really needed to change my working hours. I was not able to pretend like nothing had happened to me.

Deep down inside I knew that the lack of sleep, the work pressure and stress had caused the seizure. And that I really had to think of myself first, work is less important than health. But still, it made me feel like a failure. Angry with myself and Grissom, I walked toward the locker room. To change my clothes again, gather my stuff and go home but before I reached the locker room, I was stopped by Sara.

"Hey Greggo, are you alright?" she asked with a worried expression on her face.

"I just wish that people stopped asking me that," I angrily answered, not looking at Sara.

It was quiet for a few seconds, until I finally looked up at the brunette. She was still standing at the same spot, just staring at me.

"Nick's waiting for you, he's in the evidence room," she finally said, "And he's as grumpy as you are."

"I'm sorry, Sar," I said softly, watching the woman walking towards the break room.

"Don't worry about it. Just go and see Nicky. Cheer him up or something, because I have to work with him tonight!" Sara answered with a smile on her face, before she entered the break room.

When I reached the evidence room, I just stood in the doorway, quietly watching my lover. He was just staring in to space, not looking at the collected evidence in front of him. I sneaked up on him and placed my arms around his waist, my chest pressed against his back. Nick just sighed and leaned backwards in to my touch while I rested my head on his shoulder. We just stood like that for a while. Until my lover broke the silence. He slowly turned around so we were facing each other.

"I said some things to Grissom which I shouldn't have said. I mean, he is my boss and I was disrespectful," Nick quietly said.

"Baby, I don't know what you said exactly, but I'm sure you didn't meant it," I answered, while gently stroking Nick's cheek.

"I know, but still, I was so angry with Griss. I blamed him for your last seizure, he's always making you work too much!" my boyfriend almost shouted.

"Shush Nicky, he's giving me the day off to get some rest. And I'm sure your talk has opened his eyes. He's trying to solve the problem in his own way." I smiled, while giving my lover another hug.

"I guess I overreacted, but it's not only his fault. You really should take better care of yourself, babe." Nick sighed, while holding me a little bit tighter.

Not able to answer, I just buried my face into Nick's neck, while inhaling his familiar scent.

"I know," I finally whispered, "But I can't do it by myself." Gently Nick pushed me back so he was looking me straight in the eye.

"Greggo, I will do everything to help you. I can work double shifts more often so you don't have to. And when you have a day off I'll make sure you get enough rest," he answered, "I'll even help you to remember to take your medications on time."

"Really?" I asked my lover.

"Of course, G. I just want you to be healthy and happy. To be honest I want us to be happy and healthy together," Nick answered with a smile on his face.

"Me too, Nicky. Me too," I whispered to the older man, still standing in front of me.

"Now, let's get you home," Nick said, while gently pushing me out of the evidence-room.

When we passed Grissom's office, Nick stopped and with a sigh, he knocked on the closed door.

"You go ahead, I first have to apologize to Grissom," the other man explained.

I just gave him a nod and kept walking towards the parking lot. Thinking about what had happened, I knew I had to change my life. Of course, it had changed a lot already. But with all the overwork and stress, I knew it would trigger the seizures. I was planning to live a healthier and steadier life.

And the best thing about it is that I don't have to do it alone, because with Nick by my side, life would be easier.


End file.
